Six fallacies that hinder development of the medical humanities in medical education

Bleakley, A. (2017), Six fallacies that hinder development of the medical humanities in medical education. Med Educ, 51: 126–127. doi:10.1111/medu.13236

“Comments on an article by Lara Varpio et al. (see record 2017-06764-007). In this edition of Medical Education, the article ‘Looking and listening for learning in arts- and humanities- based creations’ by Varpio et al. adds to an increasingly sophisticated literature on methodologies in medical and health humanities research. But the article also highlights certain self-imposed constraints on the medical humanities that invite urgent attention. In the Greek myth, Prometheus the Titan stole fire from the gods and brought this gift to humans. Fire turns nature into culture, the raw into the cooked, literal thinking into metaphorical and imaginative action and reflection. And the fire of imagination in inspired medical education is what turns ordinary medical students into extraordinary doctors.”